4

I've got a recipe that requires baked butternut squash cubes. Is it possible to bake the squash whole first, then cube it afterwards? If so, should I attempt to peel it after baking?

Community
  • 1
Melissa
  • 671
  • 7
  • 12
  • 5
    Cooking a large item fully through without overcooking the outside takes significantly more time than cooking smaller bits, as it requires cooking at a lower temperature (to avoid burning/overcooking the outside). It will also be more wet, as there’s less opportunity for moisture to escape with reduced surface area. – Joe Sep 09 '23 at 11:55
  • And possibly related: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/40839/67 – Joe Sep 09 '23 at 13:27
  • A recipe for what? – Xander Henderson Sep 10 '23 at 15:14
  • Also, "baked butternut squash cubes" feels ambiguous to me. Is it or ? Could be either. My guess is the former. Usually in a recipe, if it is baked before hand, to clear this ambiguity up, it'd be written "1 cup butternut cubes, baked". A whole butternut would be "1 whole baked butternut, cubed" – stanri Sep 24 '23 at 07:17

1 Answers1

12

If you bake first it will be difficult to get cubes, unless you under cook significantly. Cubing first also provides more surface area for browning...thus more flavor. If it says baked cubes, there is probably a reason for it. Specifying the final recipe will help. If that changes things, I'll edit my answer.

moscafj
  • 78,942
  • 3
  • 129
  • 227